1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to methods and tools used to form the picket holes in curved fence rails. More particularly, the present invention relates to a flexible tool that automatically adjusts to the curvature of the rail to automatically position a plurality of templates at the locations for the picket holes.
2. Background Information
Low maintenance vinyl fences and vinyl decking are becoming increasingly popular as their appearance approaches traditional wood structures. These structures generally have top and bottom rails that extends between vertical posts. A plurality of spaced parallel pickets are connected to the top and bottom rails and are evenly spaced between the posts. Picket holes must be cut in the upper surface of the bottom rail and in the lower surface of the top rail to receive the pickets. In order to maintain parallel and evenly spaced pickets, the picket holes must be carefully planned and cut. When the top and bottom rails are straight, the planning and cutting is not too difficult. A router may be used with a simply template to cut the openings along the longitudinal centerline of the rails.
Structures with curved rails are also becoming increasingly desired given their aesthetic features and their ability to simulate traditional wooden structures. Those skilled in the art of vinyl structures have found the task of cutting picket holes in curved vinyl rails difficult. The radii of curved vinyl rails varies because of the material properties and methods of forming the curved rails. The different radii prevent a fixed template from being used to locate the picket holes. As such, the location of each picket hole must be measured manually. Once the hole location is marked, a template is position and a cutting tool, such as a router, is used to form the hole. Although this process is effective, the art desires a method and a tool for quickly and easily laying out and cutting all the picket holes in a curved rail.